The Sheikh's Son by Katheryn Lane Page B

the wind!” Akbar bent down so that he was eye-to-eye with his son. “Until then, look after your mother for me, won’t you?”
    “Of course! I’ll even learn to cook for her like you showed me.” They both laughed and then Akbar turned to Sarah. “My desert rose.” He took her hand, kissed it and then walked off through airport security.
    Sarah didn’t reply. She was trying to hold back the tears and be strong for the sake of both her son and for the sake of the man who was walking away from her.
    Akbar didn’t once turn around to look back, but Sarah stayed and stared at him until he was out of sight.
    “Mum, can we get a pizza on the way home?”
    “Ali, it’s just gone six in the morning. You still have to go to school today and I have to go to work.” Though quite how Sarah was going to cope at the clinic, she didn’t know. However, both of them sitting together at home moping over the loss of Akbar wouldn’t help either. The best thing they could do was try to keep busy until they, too, were getting on a flight to Yazan, when they would be reunited with him, even if it was only for a few weeks. However, all the way back into central London, Sarah sat on the London Underground, calculating how many weeks, days, and hours it would be until she saw Akbar again, while Ali slept with his head on her shoulder.
     

Chapter 13
     
    “Welcome to Yazan!” Akbar lifted up his son and swung him round in the air. “Welcome home!” He bowed to Sarah. Akbar then called out to a nearby porter to help with their bags and led them out of the airport.
    Outside, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky and the winter desert air was warm, like freshly baked bread. Immediately, Sarah felt that the oppressive gloom of London really was a million miles away. As they rode out of the airport, she let Ali sit in the front of the Jeep so he could tell his dad all about what he’d been doing recently. This left her free to quietly soak up Akbar’s presence. She had longed for this moment for so long and now she was finally here. There, right in front of her, was her handsome, wonderful husband, just within her reach. She promised herself that she would savour every second of the next two weeks with him, though she was fully aware that it would pass like water through her hands and before she knew it, she would be coming back to the airport to return to cold, wet England and life as a single parent.
    Sarah was so caught up in her thoughts that it wasn’t until they were quite a ways from the airport that she realised they were driving in the wrong direction.
    “Where are we going?” she called out to the front of the Jeep.
    “You’ll see. It’s a surprise. We’re almost there,” Akbar called back. “I have something very special for you, my son,” he said to Ali. “It’s something that I’ve been planning ever since I came back from London. Do you like surprises?”
    “Is it my horse?” Ali asked. “Please say it is. Wait ’til you see how well I can ride now!”
    Sarah smiled to herself. Ali had been going horse riding regularly, thanks to Akbar’s generosity in paying for all his lessons in advance, and he was now a very capable rider. Akbar would be proud of his progress, though Sarah hoped that the horse he was about to present his son with wouldn’t be too big or too fast. However, as they drove through the outskirts of the city, she did wonder why Akbar didn’t keep the horse at his Bedouin camp with all his other horses and camels. Maybe he was going to let Ali pick one.
    Soon they were driving through one of the more affluent suburbs, up on the hillside, away from the fumes and dust of the city. Then, to Sarah’s surprise, Akbar stopped in front of a large villa surrounded by high, white-washed walls. It was on a beautifully kept avenue, lined with palm trees, and obviously belonged to someone important. Sarah wondered whether the horse dealer lived here.
    Akbar knocked on a carved wooden door in